Homeless leave Albany Bulb following settlement deal

It's moving day for dozens of transients who spent years living at the Albany Bulb, a piece of land on the border of Albany and Berkeley.

April 25, 2014 10:12:18 PM PDT

by Tiffany Wilson

ALBANY, Calif. --

It's moving day for dozens of transients who spent years living at the Albany Bulb, a piece of land on the border of Albany and Berkeley. The city reached a settlement with the residents -- each will receive $3,000 if they leave Friday.

It's a slow process as everything the homeless own has to be carted or biked from their camp. They say they don't want to move, but after their lawyers reached a settlement, they didn't have a choice.

Friday, folks tried to make sense of chaotic campsites furnished with scrap metal, original works of art, and broken bits of other people's dreams.

Thomas Barnett's been sleeping under tarps for five years. He carefully packs his belongings, preparing to move out.

"I don't know where I'm really going," he said.

A front-loader and dumpster wait to clear anything left behind.

Once Barnett's camp disappears, Albany will give him a check for $3,000.